There's a freedom to Gulda's approach which brings the music vividly to life . . . he was the original "terrorist pianist" with a taste for free jazz . . . and more revealingly, an improvised sequence, "Epitaph für eine Liebe", in which the pianist sings along bluesily, like some melancholy offspring of Mose Allison and Keith Jarrett.

Record Review /
Andy Gill,
Independent (London) / 26. February 2010

Gulda's is a typically electric and high-octane performance of Chopin's First Piano Concerto . . . Gulda's performance is almost breathless with excitement, flying fearlessly around the keyboard, living for the moment, and seemingly goading the orchestra on to take similar risks . . . such is Gulda's strength od character and of musical argument, particularly when captured live, that this will be eagerly sought after by his admirers. This is music-making at its most stimulating and provocative and it represents a valuable addition to the discography of both Gulda and Chopin.

Record Review /
Nicholas Salwey,
International Record Review (London) / 01. April 2010

. . . Gulda combined a delicacy of touch with an intensity of interpretation. This double-CD set captures some of his greatest performances of Chopin, in particular the complete Ballades and Preludes. Listen to his treatment of the Nocturne in F sharp Minor. Reflection and tranquillity on a keyboard.

Record Review /
Simon Gage ,
Daily Express (London) / 09. April 2010

What makes this set important . . . is that it defines his extremes, especially in Epitaph . . . he is extremely capable at suggesting moods of loneliness, rumination and withdrawal. There¿s a fine elegance in the playing too . . . The Preludes are thoughtfully conceived . . . The Waltz is friskily capriciousness and conveys the frisson of a live event; one could hardly find fault with the great C minor Nocturne, a superb account. Gulda is also well supported by Boult in the concerto, where he shows great sensitivity in the slow movement and virtuosity in a rapid account of the finale. Made when Gulda was 24, this recording has come up well in the transfer.

Forever the nonconformist, Gulda may sometimes be wilful and irascible but he is never less than mesmeric and fascinating. Time and again he casts a novel and intense light on even the most familiar phrase, making you hang on every note.

Record Review /
Bryce Morrison ,
Gramophone (London) / 01. June 2010

These recordings . . . are a fitting tribute to his idiosyncratic artistry: immediate, vibrant, original and at times utterly volcanic . . . The 24 Preludes, drawn from two live performances, are a roller-coaster ride, occasionally on the edge of reason -- I can't remember a more manic B flat minor Prelude -- yet he shapes the melodic architecture of the more songful preludes with such good sense that you wonder why doesn't everybody do likewise.